RiskWi$e: new podcast drop with farmer Ashley Michael

We’ve added another podcast to the Riskwi$e catalogue. Jake Giles, EPAG Research is back in the field interviewing farmers across the EP to get their take on the season so far.

In this episode, Jake speaks to Mount Damper farmer Ashley ‘AJ’ Michael about the strong start to 2026.

The season has had a very strong start, with early rain allowing an early sowing program and creating high yield potential. However, the wet start also created workload pressure, especially around summer spraying, pre-emergent herbicide, seeding, spreading and getting across paddocks while they were trafficable.

Input supply and pricing have shaped decisions. AJ had planned a large ripping program but scaled it back when fuel supply became uncertain. He also moved early on urea and used sulphate of ammonia as a practical option to secure nitrogen and sulphur, despite the extra product handling.

AJ’s approach is to “have a crack” when the big seasonal signals line up. Early sowing and strong rainfall are seen as two major opportunities that cannot be controlled, so when they occur, he is prepared to invest in fertiliser, particularly in canola and higher-potential crops.

Risk management is still central. High fertiliser bills, machinery costs, chemical inputs, wet paddock access, nitrogen timing and the chance of a poor finish all remain front of mind. AJ recognises that every hot day later in the season could reduce yield potential.

A major business shift has been moving more strongly into cropping, with lentils replacing peas and sheep now removed from the system. This has allowed greater focus on crop production, especially on country where significant investment has already gone into sand amelioration.

Decision-making is based on both experience and numbers. AJ talks about using gut feel built from past seasons, especially 2022, but also keeping a close eye on budgets, minimum yield estimates and whether decisions stack up on paper before committing more inputs.

Visit the AIR EP RiskWi$e project page to download a listen today!

The EP Ag Chat podcast series are available at the following page: airep.com.au/epagchatspodcast

This podcast is produced as part of the GRDC-funded RiskWi$e project.